A total of 35 per cent of all measles outbreaks in the UK this year have occurred in London.

According to Public Health England (PHE), from the start of the year until August 13, there were 828 confirmed measles cases in England.

They say 291 of these cases were recorded in London.

Chairman of the London Assembly Health Committee, Onkar Sahota said: “The resurgence of measles cases amongst Londoners is extremely concerning, and sadly symptomatic of the misinformation and baseless controversy that stills surrounds the MMR vaccine.”

In 1998, a controversy surrounding the combined measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine began when a fraudulent research paper was published in The Lancet medical journal.

The research linked the vaccine to colitis and disorders on the autism spectrum.

Mr Sahota said: “The simple fact needs to be made clear that the vaccination is both safe and effective.

“It is absolutely imperative that those who might have missed their vaccination at a younger age, contact their local GP practice to catch-up as a matter of urgency.

“One of the major issues is that public health services have failed to effectively tackle the lingering misconceptions associated with it, largely due to their budgets being slashed.”

As well as saying that there needs to be more education campaigns affirming the importance of vaccinations Mr Sahota said that another factor contributing to outbreaks is people travelling abroad and contracting the virus.

Following the outbreaks across the country Public Health England is advising the public to ensure they have had two doses of the MMR vaccine.

Yvonne Doyle London regional director for PHE said: “We are seeing a concerning increase in measles cases across London which could lead to a wider outbreak in unvaccinated children and adults. We want people to know that it’s never too late for them to have the MMR vaccine.

“Public Health England asks that parents – and young adults – remain alert to measles.

“Those experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention, but phone ahead before visiting GP surgeries so arrangements can be made to prevent others from being infected.”